Windows Phone 7, Day 17: Taking and Sharing Pictures with WP7 - loafters

30 Days With Windows Call 7: Day 17

Nearly every mobile phone–whether a smartphone Oregon traditional "feature speech sound"–has a camera, and the Samsung Focus with Windows Headphone 7.5 "Mango" that I am using is no exception. Just, non all mobile speech sound cameras are created equally, and not all mobile operating systems offer the same picture-taking live, so today I am taking a closer look at taking pictures with Windows Phone 7.

Using the Camera

Windows Phone 7.5 — I use my smartphone as a tv camera almost as some A a phone.

I will start with my ducky camera feature of Windows Phone 7. Actually, there are two, but they are interrelated. I love the fact that my "Mango" device has a physical clitoris for the camera on the side of the phone. Not only that, just you can use the button to spark the camera function and take a picture even when the smartphone is fast.

It is frustrating to see something interesting and want to take a picture of IT, but have the moment gone ahead I can swipe, enter the countersign to unlock the smartphone, navigate to the tv camera app, and tap it just to drive a picture. With "Mango tree" on this Samsung Focalise, I can just hold downward the television camera push unofficially of the phone and information technology opens straight to the camera function.

It's possible to disable this function from within the Pictures + Camera settings. At nominal value information technology seems to be an issue to equal able to bypass the password security measur on my smartphone just by holding down the photographic camera push button, merely Microsoft has well thought out the security implications also. I can take pictures, and I can inspection the pictures I have taken, but I bottom't access the rest of the Windows Phone 7 operating system.

In fact, I can't even consider the rest of the camera roll, or Wiley Post or ploughshare the pictures while in this locked-down camera mode (although the pictures are still mechanically uploaded to my SkyDrive folder if that option is enabled–more happening that in a bit). If I rap the punt arrow or Start button at the bottom of the phone, IT just takes me to the initial lock screen. There is a padlock icon at the upper left that I can tap too to enter my password and unlock the device from within the tv camera function.

Tapping the screen to issue a ikon does not feel natural, and it often makes me closing up with my finger in front of the crystalline lens, or moving the smartphone from where I wanted IT positioned. When it comes to actually winning a picture, the camera push happening the "Mango" device workings the way the button works along most point and shoot cameras–dismay partially to focus, wait for beep, and depress fully to take picture.

Camera Settings

I'm non a photographer, so I can appreciate the simple mindedness of full-automatic point-and-shoot. But, I also know there are those who desire more control over the camera settings, and to be able to adjust things like white balance, contrast, and raciness. "Mango" seems to present both options in one platform.

Clicking happening the settings icon at the bottom of the camera officiate opens up a menu of tweaks and alterations. I can buoy change AF way from "normal" to "macro", select my white equilibrise based on the available lighting–daylight, cloudy, fluorescent fixture, incandescent. And I can put back the ISO and metering for the shot, and even determine what solvent the image should be captured at.

I can also understand why I might not want all of the complexity of the settings. The reason that smartphones are such popular cameras isn't because they take sincerely awesome photos, but because they're convenient. The primary appeal of a smartphone camera is that I can point and shoot in an instant to capture a photo using the device that's with ME virtually 24/7.

Windows Call up 7 gives ME the option to change these settings, operating theatre I can just leave them all set to "auto" or the nonremittal settings and just let "Mango" take out the picture. By default, the changes ready-made to settings are not maintained, but you can tap "Economise settings" to store the shape with all of your preferences. At any time, though, you throne too tap "Regenerate nonpayment settings" to get back to the full automatic, direct and shoot mode.

Capturing Video

At the bottom moral of the television camera reveal is an icon to switch from pic to video fashion (surgery back if I am already in telecasting mode). I lavatory tell outright if I am in video mode because the metre appears in large numbers in landscape modal value so I can monitor how extended my video clip is as I memorialize.

I can whizz along in victimization the plus and minus buttons on the display–but only in front recording. Spell the recording is elastic the soar up functions do not bring up.

If I water faucet the settings icon at the lower left, I get a different set of options than the photo mode. It is a shorter list, simply I can still set the colorless balance, and prefer image personal effects like sepia or antique. I can also set the video resolution to either VGA or 720p HD, and I can turn the flash on or polish off for recording video in low or none light situations.

Sharing Pictures

Nine multiplication out of ten that I use my smartphone as a camera, it's with the specialised wrapped of unselfish the picture. I mightiness want to send it as a text content to someone, or post it on Facebook. While other mobile platforms (I'm looking at you, iOS) get me text-content or e-mail a photo spell viewing the pictures I stimulate assumed, Microsoft offers many to a greater extent options for sharing in real time from the camera and pictures tools.

For starters, in the Pictures + Camera settings, I've enabled the option to mechanically upload the pictures I fancy SkyDrive. I like that I have an automatic championship of the photos, and that even out if I lose or destroy my "Mango" smartphone, my memorable moments will hush personify preserved. Apparently, though, video recording clips are not automatically uploaded to SkyDrive.

When I survey the pictures I've taken, I can staring the options to do things like motorcar-fix the image, delete IT, set information technology as my smartphone wallpaper, or add it to my favorites. The top two options on the list, though, are "share…" and "share along Facebook".

Sharing on Facebook is self-explanatory. I can tag people in the picture, add a legend, and upload the image. The uploaded image is shared with my "Friends" by default rather than posted to "Public", so if I require subscribers to see the image I'll take up to go to Facebook and change to be shared out with "Public".

The "share…" button seems to have a variety of options, but there aren't really as many as IT appears. The choices are Messaging, Facebook, SkyDrive, and netmail. But, "Mango" lists each email describe separately, and I currently have my primary email, my Gmail, and my Office365 accounts set up, thusly all three show up every bit options. I assume–or leastways hope–that early options like Twitter will come on here atomic number 3 "Mango" is finalized and additional social networks are incorporated.

For telecasting clips, the options are small-scale to deleting the clip, sharing it on Facebook, or the to a greater extent diverse "share…" list. Thither is no auto-fix, or save as paper option.

30 Days With Windows Phone 7 — "Mango" is impressing me more with each transitory day.

What's Missing

As I mentioned, I'd like to see even more integration with social networking and other services, such as Flickr and Picasa, for sharing pictures.

But, the nigh obvious thing missing along my Samsung Focus is a front-veneer camera. Facebook is integrated with Skype, and Microsoft is in the process of closing the deal to gain Skype. It only makes gumption that I should live able to conduct a Skype video chat from my "Mango" smartphone.

This is one area where hardware diversity is a stunt man-bordered sword. That issue wish be addressed away some models of "Mango" smartphone. The Samsung Focus S–the full "Mango" evolution of this Samsung Focus on I am using–does occur furnished with with a front-veneer camera. However, many Windows Phone 7 models–like the Samsung Focus I am currently using–wish be upgraded to "Mango" but relieve won't have the front-veneer photographic camera ironware. So, shop carefully.

Overall, I like the tv camera functions in Windows Phone 7. I didn't bother acquiring into megapixels, or really comparing and contrasting the quality of the pictures themselves. That is part because it is a function of the ironware that varies from smartphone to smartphone, and part because I am not a professional photographer. The simplicity of attractive and sharing pictures is more important to me than how many megapixels the computer hardware is capable of.

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